Residents of the remote Kalaupapa settlement on Molokai have been locked out of their homes for almost three weeks, and now burglars are hitting the empty houses — bad news for a tiny community already stretched thin.

• A broken water system forced an evacuation, and a power line snapped during Hurricane Manolo has left the settlement dark for four days.
• Empty homes have become easy targets, and security cameras caught people walking through houses and taking things.
• Even the church tithing box is at risk, and residents say the sense of trust in the community is gone.
• Food has spoiled and mail is stuck; with no landfill there, spoiled food has to be composted, washed out, and shipped off by barge.
• The repair is stalled because the power company and the National Park Service need a landowner's permission to fly in a helicopter, which means hunting has to stop first.

Outlook: Repairs are set for Friday — three weeks to the day since the evacuation — and residents cannot go home until the power is back on.